SOLAR FOOD DRYER: Build Your Own Electricity-Free Food Preservation System

Drying fruits, vegetables and even meats is a great way to preserve food without a freezer or the hassles of canning, and building your own electricity-free solar food dryer is one of the best ways you can equip yourself. Using only the power of the sun, you’ll enjoy a level of food security that no freezer can match. The thing is, there are lots of ways to build your own solar food dryer badly. Here are the typical problems with most designs:

SOLAR FOOD DRYER PROBLEM#1: TOO LITTLE AIR FLOW

Most build-it-yourself solar food dryer designs are made around the idea of an insulated box. You lay the food inside the box, the sun shines through some glass, the box heats up and your food is supposed to dry. The thing is, heat alone isn’t enough to dry food effectively.  You also need air movement into and out of the dryer to carry away moisture. Box-style dryers rarely allow enough air flow to be effective.

SOLAR FOOD DRYER PROBLEM#2: TOO LITTLE OUTPUT

It’s one thing to have the ability to preserve food by drying with the sun, but the output of your dryer needs to be enough food to make a difference to your life. Most DIY solar food dryer designs dry food too slowly, in batches that are too small. Part of this is due to small size, and part is due to the fact that moisture can’t leave most designs quickly enough.

SOLAR FOOD DRYER PROBLEM#3: ELECTRIC DRYERS

Ready-made electric food dryers can work well if you buy a high quality unit, but they also cost money to operate and they’re no use without electric power. And chances are pretty good that you won’t be able to repair an electric dryer when a fan or heating element breaks down the road.

Building a solar food dryer isn’t the kind of project everyone can handle, but if you’re handy it’s a great way to equip yourself to preserve food without electricity. It’s also a great way to make use of solar energy in a way that can make a difference to your life and food security. BUILD YOUR OWN SOLAR FOOD DRYER is my detailed guide for making it all happen. It includes detailed plans and materials list, 5 instructional online videos, a reasonable price and a money-back guarantee. This is the most complete set of plans and instructions in the world for building your own solar food dryer. Click here to learn more.

I’m Steve Maxwell, the guy behind BaileyLineRoad.com and an award-winning Canadian how-to instructor and project designer. Over the last 30 years my articles have appeared in publications such as Canadian Home Workshop, Harrowsmith, Canadian Contractor, Mother Earth News, Cottage Life, Homes & Cottages magazine and many others. I live on a rural island called Manitoulin where I practice everything I teach in my video ebooks. There’s no big publishing company behind my work, just a little guy (me) and my son (Robert) creating some of the most comprehensive information products about hands-on living in the world.